these are big-time washington diplomatic security secrets. >> yes. this was such an important secret to keep, no one in the state department knew. the same, i think, except for those with need-to-know in the pentagon and cia and certainly the white house. so i just felt a personal responsibility to keep it close, but that meant that i was basically, you know, having to consult with myself, to be honest. >> keeping this secret also meant going on about the business of presidency, touring that awful storm damage in alabama while knowing at athat very moment u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s were already the on the move halfway around the world. you had to go to tuscaloosa? >> yes. >> you had to go have fun at the correspondents dinner? >> yes. >> seth meyers makes a joke about osama bin laden. >> did you know that every day from 4:00 to 5:00 he hosts a show on c-span? >> how do you keep an even keel, even when we look back on the videotape of that night, there's no real depiction there's something afoot? >> you know, when i go down to tuscaloosa, i'm very much prese